Ashley Brown (Kirkland, Wash.) led Seattle University with 17 points and nine rebounds thanks in part to five three-pointers, but 14 of her points came in the first half. Cassidy Murillo (Yakima, Wash.) finished with 12 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, and Maggie McCarthy (Burlingame, Calif.) earned 10 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
"It was a tale of two halves," SeattleU head coach Joan Bonvicini said. "In the first half, we got a lot of transition buckets, Ashley was able to hit some threes, and we controlled the boards. We got complacent in the second half, and they forced us into the half-court game, which we did not execute as well."
After Sacramento State's Emily Christensen hit a three-pointer to bring the Hornets within two at 26-24 with 5:27 remaining in the first half, SeattleU went on a 11-2 run, with Brown scoring eight points and Murillo adding a three-pointer, to extend the Redhawk advantage to 37-26. Tika Koshiyama-Diaz and Christensen were able to hit three-pointers in the final minute of the first half, but transition layups by Murillo and McCarthy allowed SeattleU to take a 45-35 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Sacramento State (1-3) quickly cut its deficit to three, punctuated by a three-pointer by Jasmine Cannady, but SeattleU immediately brought its lead back up to eight points three minutes into the second half. The Hornets outscored the Redhawks, 21-6, over the next ten minutes to open a 67-60 lead with 6:27 left in the second half. A layup by Samantha Messersmith (Harold, Calif.) allowed SeattleU to come within four at 67-63, but consecutive buckets from Christensen and 7-of-10 made free throws in the final two minutes gave the Hornets the cushion they needed to complete their first victory of the season.
Both Christensen and Charday Hunt notched double-doubles for Sacramento State, with Hunt leading all players with 22 points along with 10 rebounds and Christensen finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Koshiyama-Diaz contributed 14 points, four rebounds, six assists, and three steals, while Erika Edwards added 11 points, nine rebounds, and three assists to the winning cause.
After shooting 50 percent (17-of-34) from the field in the first half, Seattle University shot 26.7 percent (8-of-30) from the field in the second half. The team's free throw shooting also suffered, as SeattleU made only 9-of-19 shots from the charity stripe. After winning the rebounding battle in the first half, 22-19, the Redhawks were outrebounded in the second half, 34-20.
"(31 three-point attempts) is too much for us. We need to execute our offense better and be more patient. Missed free throws and missed layups hurt. Right now we need to take advantage of when we are at home," said Bonvicini.
Seattle University (0-6) will host the SeattleU Thanksgiving Tournament this Friday thru Sunday, Nov. 27-29. After South Alabama faces William & Mary Friday at 5 p.m. and UW-Milwaukee Saturday at 3 p.m., Seattle University will take on William & Mary Saturday at 5 p.m., followed by the final game of the weekend with the Redhawks against UW-Milwaukee Sunday at 1 p.m. Live stats for all games will be available by going to GoSeattleU.com.